John Mousinho labelled Portsmouth’s victory over Middlesbrough as ‘one of the best of the season’ as his side came from behind to win 2-1.

A second-half Matt Ritchie double cancelled out Emmanuel Latte Lath’s first half strike to give the struggling relegation candidates three massive points. It kept them unbeaten in six at home, where they’ve picked up 16 points from the last 18 available.

Though not enough to move them out of the Championship bottom three, as Hull City and Cardiff City also picked up big wins, the Pompey boss still placed huge significance in the victory, more so because of how highly he viewed Boro.

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Mousinho said: “It was a really good game of football - powerful and technical against a quality outfit. We had the fortune of watching them at the Riverside against Cardiff recently and it was a really positive display from Middlesbrough, so we know they’re an excellent team.

“So to have that level of performance against them and get the result was excellent. It feels like one of the most important results of the season, coming off the back of three away performances.

“It feels like one of the best wins of the season, because of the circumstances of Wednesday night and the fact we had to pick ourselves up after a long journey back. Morale was low and we didn’t expect the boys to come bouncing into training on Thursday, but for them to pick themselves up was excellent.

“As individuals and a collective that’s something the boys have done themselves, so I’m really, really pleased with all those aspects. The performance was excellent, the result was excellent and we’ve come away with three points - which is the most important thing.”

For Boro, it’s another case of an opposition manager talking them up, while celebrating taking points off them. It’s something that’s happened all too often this season as they consistently find ways to drop points.

In a good position while 1-0 up, defender Rob Atkinson surmised that the Fratton Park atmosphere impacted Boro as they lost their grip of the game in the second half and ultimately allowed Portsmouth back into it too easily.

He said: “Middlesbrough are a great team doing really well, we made them work really hard and they struggled a bit - that’s down to the stadium and us working hard as well. There’s a natural fear factor and that is one of the things which kind of defines you as a professional footballer. Whether you can deal with that animosity of coming here, a tough away day and getting something.

“It’s really hard. The reason we’ve done so well here recently is pretty obvious - it’s the fact the stadium feels on top of you when you’re on the pitch. When you’re an away player and you hear it, it kind of sucks all the energy out of it.”

For match-winner Ritchie, there was double delight. The former Newcastle United and Bournemouth wide man is a boyhood Pompey fan and the two goals he scored were his first at Fratton Park for the club.

He said: “As a kid, scoring at Fratton Park was something I dreamed of. A feeling of joy because you are working for the football club and you have a huge feeling for the team - and I’m a winner, I want to win.

“It’s fantastic to get the win, but I’m a realist. We are in the bottom three, it’s a step in the right direction, it’s three more points, and there is a lot more hard work to be done. It’s part of the process of where we want to go, it's what we want to achieve.

“We want to solidify our status as a Championship football club, we have to perform and win home games. We have done that, but we can’t get carried away. We have to keep calm, level headed and continue to perform in a consistent way home and away.”